Mindfulness
by yiiikes
Summary: Sasuke can read minds. He accidentally gives one of his classmates some extra attention (after hearing some of Naruto's thoughts), but now the idiot won't leave him alone? [High School AU, NaruSasuNaru]


I don't generally consider myself a nice guy. In fact, being born with the ability to read minds usually makes me feel like an eavesdropping piece of shit. I'm invading their privacy without their consent, etc, etc. The cliché tragedy of any mind-reader character in any cliché manga, I'm aware, but it's a valid one.

However, _unlike _those shallow manga protagonists, I don't let others' thoughts hurt me. You know what I'm talking about. There's always some chapter where the protagonist 'hears' their friend think something cruel or questionable, and then the mind-reader protagonist gets all hurt and sensitive about it.

Which, by the way, is ridiculous. I'm calling bullshit! You're trying to tell me that this cliché protagonist has been reading people's minds since they were born, and _still _gets surprised when their _human _best friend has _human _thoughts? As a mind-reader myself, I can vouch for the unlikelihood of such an event. It's not only stupid to hold people accountable for their impulsive thoughts and secret desires, but _really _stupid. The uncontrollable id, and all that.

And then, of course, the cliché protagonist eventually realizes that their friend's 'cruel' thoughts weren't meant to come out the way the protagonist took them. AKA, the whole 'fight' was caused by a misunderstanding because the cliché protagonist, despite _literally _having the ability to see people's truest thoughts, is stupid enough to not understand the human mind. Unlike the cliché protagonist, _I _know that one's thoughts are rarely indicative to what they really think—as counterintuitive as that seems.

I've always been rather cynical, and I'll easily admit that I'm of the minority who understands the human nature very well. That sounds arrogant, but it's a real skill, and one of the few reasons my 'ability' hasn't ruined my life.

Yes, a friend may think shitty things about me, but that doesn't mean my friend _means _it. Those thoughts were meant to be secret. Those thoughts were in an unadulterated form, since they were thoughts left uninhibited by societal morals or needs for decency. One's thoughts aren't always _accurate_, they're impulsive. A true thought is a pure belief—a belief without, like, 50 layers of disclaimers, explanations, and context to explain what one _really _means. Because, when you're inside your own head, you don't _need _to explain or justify yourself. That's the whole _point_. Someone's most primal thoughts aren't representative of their true character, so judging someone based on their mind isn't sensible.

What they choose to follow through on, and the actions within their power that they _choose _to make—those are traits that show who they are as a person.

All in all, the ability to read people's minds isn't actually a very helpful gift, because people aren't simple. They're contradictory, and not intentionally, but because that is _society_. We've been raised in a society dominated by the idea _think with your head, not with your heart_, or whatever. Rationalization and higher-level-thinking is valued greatly. Someone might think, "God, I hate Sasuke," but that doesn't mean they're going to do anything about it. While they won't _think _about why they're not going to act on that hatred, my understanding of human culture and norms explains the rest for me.

That person isn't going to act on their feelings because being my 'friend' offers them some kind of benefit; usually social status (popularity) or genuine companionship (they come when I call, with the expectation that I'll return the favor when they call). Even if this 'friend' doesn't particularly like me _best_, I wouldn't reject their offer of companionship. They'll use me, and I'll use them too, and that's okay. It's human nature. Just because I know from the second I meet them that this person isn't going to be my friend for long, that doesn't mean that I won't still learn something and gain experience from our time together. Reading someone's mind doesn't mean I know much about them at all, and I'm willing to admit that freely.

I'm not going to try and convince myself that everyone feels strongly about me (whether in love or hate), because that's simply not the case. I'll be the side-character in most people's lives, just as they'll be in mine.

This all ties into my initial point, I promise.

I don't generally consider myself a nice guy, but this particular day at the start of December, I was feeling generous.

I'd been semi-eavesdropping on some guys seated one row of desks behind me. _Semi_-eavesdropping because, well, I can't always control my gift. If I concentrate, I can shut out the voices, but when I'm otherwise occupied—in this instance, I was skimming a trig textbook—my abilities seep out without my notice. I wasn't _intentionally _eavesdropping, but while focusing on my math, my ability was focusing on the group of boys.

I try to use my ability as little as possible. Not because I care about what's morally right—who's gonna know if I cheat on this test by eavesdropping from the guy next to me?—but just because life would be way too fucking _boring_. You know what's the best part about movies and books? _Not _knowing literally everything about it before going to watch it, or read it. The _intrigue _is the fun part. It's the 'learning something new' that's fun. Maybe that makes me a mega nerd since I _like _learning, but hey. You're not wrong.

Anyway, back to the point. I wasn't eavesdropping like some little snoop because I find it fun (that novelty wore off a decade ago) but because I can't fucking help it, okay? I barely knew the boys' names since, like many others, they were side-characters in my life. None of them had any particularly strong feelings towards me, nor myself towards them, and so we'd barely interacted all year.

Yet somehow, when eavesdropping that early December day, I made the mistake of accidentally promoting one of those boys from a side-character to a _leading-role_ in my life.

Let me explain.

"You should really try and speak up after lunch break, Naruto. Sensei was getting frustrated since you're so quiet in class," said the first boy. He had short brown hair, dark eyes, and paint on his face. One upside-down, red triangle on either cheek. The brunet gave off a restless, wild sort of vibe. I could tell from his 'energy' alone that he was the sporty, outdoorsy type.

Imagine doing sports and shit because you _like _physical activity. Just imagine it for a second... okay, moving on. That single second was scarring enough.

"That perv can shove it," muttered the next guy, supposedly 'Naruto'. Naruto had blond hair, bright eyes, and an unjustified obsession with the color orange. "He knows I'm no good in public," Naruto was muttering. "He just thinks he can do whatever he likes since he was friends with my dad."

"It's kind of funny, actually," said the third boy, pale with dark hair and equally as dark eyes. "We can't _get _you to shut up outside of class, but as soon as we enter the building, you clam up."

"Shut it, Sai," Naruto grumbled, running a hand through that vibrant hair of his. "People just assume I'm a thug—they think I bleached my hair, and my face is all fucked up from fights. I don't care anymore. Let them keep thinking that."

"At this point, you being a thug isn't an assumption, but fact, right?" said the brunet, laughing at Naruto's glare. "It's true! You skip school more than you come, you _are_ always getting into fights, and now, you even ignore Kakashi-sensei when he calls out to you in class!"

"Lower your voice, Kiba, I don't think the entire _school _heard you," Naruto hissed.

He was being paranoid, in my opinion. There were maybe five other kids in the classroom—myself included—during lunch break, and none of them were within earshot—myself included. It was because of my ability that I was able to eavesdrop so well despite the distance between our desks. When speaking, people tend to think the words _as _they talk, and the two voices speaking at once, perfectly in sync, amplifies the volume for me. A near-whisper sounded like a quiet but clear inside-voice when I read their minds _while _they were whispering.

But, I was supposedly invested in my trigonometry textbook, so Naruto needn't worry. I could feel his thoughts, however. They were a jumbled, indecipherable mess of anxiety and embarrassment. Eventually, the anxiety ebbed, and Naruto sighed.

"Besides, I always turn my work in early! My grades are all Bs! Does that sound like a thug to you?" Naruto continued after the silence. He'd deemed their environment safe, apparently, to continue speaking. "I just don't like attention on me, alright?"

"He's shy," Sai sing-songed, clearly amused. "This moe-gap is too great, isn't it? The thug who's really just timid, so he hides it with aggression—hey!"

"I'll hit you again if you keep that up," Naruto growled quietly.

"You're never going to get a girlfriend with that attitude," Kiba piped in. "You just need to chill out, Naruto. What are you so scared of?"

I recognized Naruto's raspy voice when the thought _I'm not scared _floated into my third ear—the nonexistent ear I use to describe the voices I hear in my mind. I don't _actually _have a third ear... though, if I did, that might be kind of cool.

_I'm not scared_, Naruto's thoughts said, _I just-_

"I'm _not _scared," Naruto said aloud, "I just..."

From the corner of my eye, I could see him run a hand through his hair again.

_I get- _"I get shy," Naruto admitted. "I dunno. I always feels like... it doesn't matter? Like, even if I contribute, no one's really going to care, or notice. It'll just be a bother, and I don't want people thinking I'm annoying."

"You'd rather be called a thug than annoying?" Sai asked incredulously.

"It's _your _education, stupid," Kiba argued over Sai's comment, knocking the back of Naruto's head. "I _know _you study hard and get your work done _days _in advance, but you're letting your precious school days go to waste if you're _only _focusing on school."

"Kiba," Sai sighed, "don't turn this into a spiel about getting laid-"

"You should be focussing on getting a _girlfriend_, not your self-worth as a human being, you depressing bastard!"

"We can't all be so simple-minded," Sai drawled.

"Are girls all you think about?" Naruto complained similarly. "But. Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm overthinking things, huh?" Except, his mind was still wallowing; still thinking things like, _No one will care, no one will notice, none of this matters_ while he outwardly seemed to be agreeing with his friend. "Maybe I do need a girlfriend."

"Rushing into a relationship when you're... so _shy _may not be the best idea," Sai disagreed patiently. He'd thought _depressed, self-conscious, impressionable _before settling on 'shy', followed by _I'd take care of you. I'd never make you feel worthle- _"Aren't your friends enough?"

I decided that Sai likely had a crush on his friend, Naruto.

"High school relationships are more for experimentation than anything, right?" Kiba was casually cleaning his ear with his pinky, clearly not on the same page as Sai.

Sai seemed to be picking up on Naruto's questionable state of mind while Kiba was taking everything Naruto said at face value. It was an interesting dynamic.

"You can at least _try _dating," Kiba argued. "If it doesn't work out, then whatever, right? People date and break up _all the time_. Maybe it'll help you overcome your shyness. People like us have to keep trying until we succeed."

"'People like us'," Naruto echoed, voice dry. "Are you calling me ugly?" But, he was grinning.

Kiba barked out a laugh. "Always, fox face."

"_Fight _me, dog breath!"

"Boys," Sai sighed again.

"No, but really," Kiba said. "Take that kid over there, for example. Sasuke, right?"

I didn't react outwardly, of course, but for a split second of panic, I wondered if they had caught me eavesdropping. I'd only been half-paying attention until I heard Kiba mention my name, but if they'd realized I hadn't turned a page in my textbook for a good few minutes, that excuse wouldn't absolve me.

Fortunately, they seemed none the wiser regarding what was actually occupying my focus, and swiftly continued their conversation.

"Sasuke?" Naruto echoed. "What about him?"

"I hear he gets confessed to _every day!_"

Once a week, more like, but I understood where Kiba was going with this. He was trying to compare my own popularity to 'people like them'.

"What?" Naruto asked, blatantly disbelieving. "No way! What's so good about a guy like him?"

"Are you blind?" Sai snorted. "He's gorgeous."

"I hate to admit it," Kiba sniffed, "but it's true. And this is coming from a straight guy."

"Hey," Sai huffed, but his thoughts were more along the lines of _Indeed_.

"Sasuke Uchiha is hot shit, and the girls know it, too." Kiba sounded dismayed as he said this. "People like _us_, however, have to _try _to catch the attention of cute girls, you feel me? We can't all just wait around for girls to come to us like that thirst-trap Sasuke over there."

"Is he really that hot?" Naruto asked, and I could somewhat see him shimmying around from the corner of my eye, likely trying to get a good look at my face. "_I've_ never noticed him." He sounded defensive.

"He keeps to himself," Sai explained, "which is part of his appeal. Not only is he attractive, but he's a decent guy. He's not a player like the other hot-shots around here. I heard he's never accepted a confession, actually."

"What? How can a bastard like that still be popular?" Naruto griped. "If girls were throwing themselves at _me_..." Naruto trailed off, and I could physically _feel _his thoughts become dirtier. "_Well_," he finished, voice a low leer.

"And _that_ is why you wouldn't have the same appeal as Sasuke," Sai huffed. Clearly jealous, in my opinion.

It must suck, being in love with someone straight. Someone who could never love you back the way you loved them... Yikes. I'd never been in love before, so I could only imagine.

"_I'm_ a decent guy!" Naruto argued. "I'm pretty hot too, if I do say so myself!"

"A) You never speak up, so no one knows that you're a good guy, and B) you _shouldn't _say so yourself," Kiba snorted.

Naruto, predictably provoked, whipped around to tackle him, but was stopped by a preventive hand on his collar.

"_Boys_," Sai sighed for what had to be the millionth time that day. I felt for him—having to deal with those two knuckleheads. "Maybe you two should try and _learn _from him instead of immediately declaring him your enemy, hm?"

"Wouldn't he be your enemy too?" Naruto asked, pouting.

Sai paused, and I could feel _Kiba's _thoughts (surprisingly enough) turn uncomfortable. He knew about Sai's sexuality, then. He hadn't just been teasing him, earlier.

"I'm on Team Learn-From-Sasuke," Sai replied eventually. "He really is a good guy."

Naruto seemed placated by this response, but Kiba was not. His energy was prickly.

"Oh yeah?" Kiba asked casually, but even his body language was all wrong. He had his arms crossed, hips jut forwards, jaw clenched. "You know something we don't?" _Do you like him? _Kiba's mind asked, but it seemed conflicted even in his head. Something like, 'what will I do if he does?' mixed with 'what _can _I do if he does?'

I couldn't tell yet what Kiba's problem was. Was he in love with Sai, or was he homophobic? Or, perhaps, was he simply being protective of Sai because Sai had been hurt by a lover before? Or, protective because Sai had such a great _potential _to be hurt, in a predominantly heteronormative/homophobic society?

"We spoke once," Sai explained a little defensively, obviously picking up on Kiba's passive-aggressiveness, but similarly confused over the source. Or, maybe he did know the source?

Listen. I'm not _always _a nosy bitch, but sometimes... when the drama is literally laid out before me like this... I'll admit. I do get a _little _curious. Just a tad.

I'm not normally one who cares about people's private lives—being a mind-reader, I'm already privy to _much _more information than I ever would have liked—but, sometimes, it's fun to puzzle people out in my head. To whittle them down to mere characters in some TV-drama. Was that a sociopathic thing to say? Perhaps. But, again: my thoughts are my own, and so long as I never said shit like that _out loud_, I don't see a problem with it. I'm not hurting anyone.

"You did?" Naruto asked, sounding surprised.

I could admit I felt similarly. I didn't remember any conversation with Sai.

"Yeah," said Sai, "sophomore year. He helped me with a paper."

"Oh?" Naruto asked, already bored.

He was a little tactless, but, again, I could agree. That was it? Why would Sai remember something like that?

"_Yes_, 'oh'," Sai huffed. "I was panicking, alright? I was in, like, the last 32 hours before my final paper was due, and only _then _did I realize that I had to change my topic completely. Mind you, this was a paper _four months_ in the making, so to change my topic in the last two days was a little _insane_."

Memories began flooding back, and I remembered the situation Sai was talking about.

For the umpteenth time, I'm _not _normally a nice guy, and I detest the mere thought of ever being referred to as such. I'm _not _nice. I don't give a shit about anyone else's inner thoughts but my own. But. _But_. Everyone has off days.

It was two years ago now. I'd been in the library, minding my fucking business when I heard Sai's panicked mind feverishly running through a list of names and dates, and I recognized this topic. I hadn't known who Sai was at the time, but his thoughts had caught my attention because they were familiar. I'd researched the very topic he was stressing about earlier that year for a history project, and it seemed Sai was going to use it for his final paper in English.

I could sense that he was close to _crying_—yes, _that _close to a mental breakdown-cum-anxiety attack—and no one wanted to do that in a public space. I could sense he was trying to find the right books and a more precise thesis, and I just. I don't know. I must have been feeling generous at the time. And, it's easy to go out on a limb for someone when you can predict their response. In his current state, I knew Sai would be grateful to receive any sort of help (even from a stranger like myself), so making the decision to go over and help had been easier than ignoring it.

"So, what happened?" Naruto asked, intrigued.

"You guys cheated?" Kiba was curious as well, despite himself.

"No, actually." I could feel the nostalgic way Sai regarded the memory, and felt a little guilty that I'd forgotten it myself until that very moment. "_Better_. He helped me revise the whole thing."

"What?" Naruto asked, blinking rapidly.

"Why?" Kiba asked, also shocked. "Why would he do that? Were you guys friends?"

Sai shook his head. "No. That's why I was so surprised. I didn't even know who he was. Fate, maybe?" Sai laughed a little shyly, aware of how romantic that sounded, and Kiba's energy prickled again. "Maybe he could tell I was freaking out, or something. I don't _think _I was behaving like a lunatic, but I must've been projecting because he asked if I needed any help finding a book."

"But you're the fakest guy I know!" Naruto argued. "I mean, no offense."

"How would I _not _take offense to that?"

"I just mean, you're _always_ smiling, Sai. Even when you're mad, or sad. I've never seen you really get angry, or freak out over anything—let alone an essay!"

"That's why I was so startled," Sai agreed. "I even declined his help at first, but he... I don't know. He looked like he could _tell_, somehow. He just... gave me this _look_, and suddenly I was confessing the whole thing: about my project, and my topic, and the swiftly approaching due-date. Then, he told me he'd done a project on the _same thing _earlier that year! And I thought, 'this must be fate', or something." Sai's voice betrayed his own embarrassment at the last line. "He's just a _nice guy_. He had no reason to, but he helped me revise my thesis and find all the reference books I needed. My grade on that final was all thanks to him, really."

"He must have a lot of free time," Kiba commented dubiously.

"Yeah... That kind of sounds like something out of a manga, right?"

"No one reads manga but you, Naruto." Sai rolled his eyes, but it was affectionate.

I mean. _I _read manga, but they don't need to know that.

"Well, a romance _novel_ then," Naruto amended with a sarcastic smile. "In a story, you guys would've fallen in love or something, right?"

"Naruto, what are you saying about two guys?" Kiba clocked Naruto over the back of the head again.

"Oi!" Naruto crowed, but got over it quickly and turned back to Sai with excitement. "Did you guys ever talk again? Did you thank him, at least? Even _I _feel a little indebted to him after a story like that."

Sai's emotions were warm—a sign of embarrassment, or perhaps affection. "No, I didn't. I never saw him again after that. We're in the same class _now_, but it's been two years already. He probably doesn't even remember. He's never said anything about it to me. Though... to be fair, I never approached him, either..." I could see Sai biting his lip and shooting me anxious glances.

"He doesn't remember writing someone else's paper in his copious free time?" Kiba sneered.

"He only helped with the concept," Sai snapped. "We didn't _cheat_. He's not that kind of person, and nor am I."

"Guess you know him pretty well, huh." Kiba wasn't letting it go. "If he's so great, he'd definitely remember, right?"

"I don't..." Sai hesitated. "Doesn't he seem like the type to frequently leave big impacts on other people's lives?" Sai asked a little helplessly. "I'm not special. He probably does stuff like that all the time..."

"Kiba, what are you being so annoying for?" Naruto asked, finally picking up on the animosity between the other two. "I mean, I wanna hate Sasuke too, but sometimes you gotta admit when you're wrong. It's easier to hate people you're jealous of than to admit it."

Kiba's emotions spiked, and I could see him flail a bit. "I'm not jealous!" Kiba insisted, voice louder than necessary.

"Shhh!" Naruto hissed, peering around the room. "Break is almost over, anyway! Go back to your seat already."

Kiba, while grumbling, did obey. His seat was across the classroom, near the rear exit, but still in the back row with his friends. Sai sat all the way on the opposite side of the back row, by the window, and Naruto sat directly next to him.

I could feel eyes on me as our other classmates returned, Kakashi-sensei returned, and class resumed session. My mind reached out, searching, and I picked up on a familiarly raspy voice in my third ear, thinking:

_I wonder if anything fated like that would ever happen to me? No one notices me, no one cares. I wonder if I'd ever make a difference like that in someone else's life, like Sasuke does... Sai said that Sasuke seemed like 'the type' to leave a big impact on someone else's life... I wonder if I can be like that someday..._

Class ended rather uneventfully, despite feeling Naruto's and perhaps Kiba's eyes boring into the back of my head. I didn't quite know what to make of the group yet, so I had no intention of engaging.

Except, while packing my bag with my textbooks in preparation for heading home, I noticed a couple of girls hovering in my periphery. I turned to regard them, not bothering to smile because that only encouraged them. However, that didn't mean I would be rude about it. "Can I help you?"

I noticed a familiar signature waver in the corner of my mind (interested), and when I briefly glanced in that direction, I noticed the trio of boys I'd previously been eavesdropping on. They were pretending to pack up as well, but they were all moving ridiculously slowly—obviously in an attempt to eavesdrop on _me_.

I didn't particularly care, so I pretended not to notice.

"S-Sasuke," began one of the girls, her hair long and her eyes pale. Her energy was gentle and soft, but twinkly and fresh. Like snowflakes landing softly, softly on one's face.

It's hard to explain energies, okay? Don't harass me about it when I'm trying my best here.

"We w-were wondering if you would be willing t-to work with us?"

"Hinata and I hear you get straight As!" the second girl chirped. She was bold, which I liked. She had faint green eyes—a pastel green, I guess—and short, strawberry blonde hair—which was more strawberry than anything. She nodded in the direction of my bag. "I noticed you packing up a trig textbook, so you're already way ahead of us. I hope you won't find it too annoying to maybe help us out with the math homework? We'd really appreciate it!" The girl clasped her hands together in front of her, pleading playfully.

I wanted to decline, but Sai _just _talked me up for being such an upstanding guy. It was difficult to turn the girls down while being watched so intently by Sai and co. I mean, part of me didn't give a shit and wanted to decline anyway, but another part of me was feeling uncharacteristically like I had a reputation to uphold (even though, usually, acting uncaring _was _my reputation).

Then, it hit me.

"I've got to get to my part-time," I lied.

"Oh," said the rosette, clearly surprised. She probably wasn't turned down very often. She was very pretty, after all.

"But, I can recommend someone else in my stead," I suggested.

"Are they as cute as you?" she asked bluntly, and her friend, supposedly 'Hinata', sputtered immediately.

"S-Sakura!" she chastised, face bright red.

"I study best with a little eye-candy. So what?" Sakura didn't seem ashamed in the least.

I allowed a smirk to settle on my face, admittedly refreshed by her candidness. I'm not a fan girls who play coy and submissive when they're really not.

_She's so hooooot_, I heard a familiar voice cheer into my third ear, and against my will, sunflower blond hair popped in my head. I blame the idiot's intrusive voice for the next words that came out of my mouth.

"Naruto always gets his work done early," I said before really thinking about it.

I pretended not to notice Naruto nearly trip in his slow-motion 'bag packing'. Kiba and Sai whipped their heads to Naruto, who was giving them clear signals that he also had no idea what was happening.

_WHAT!? _Naruto's mind screamed, and a blast of warm energy shot from his corner of the room. He was clearly feeling very embarrassed and called-out, but he deserved it for... thinking so loudly. Shut up.

"Naruto?" Sakura echoed, glancing over in the blond's direction. She made a face. "He does?" her voice was skeptical.

"Sure," I said. I didn't _really _know, of course. Truthfully, I'd never noticed Naruto until that very day, but neither Kiba nor Sai had disputed his claim to finishing his work early, so I was going to trust their integrity. "He might already be done with the homework."

Sakura still seemed on the fence, but I could feel Hinata's interest piquing.

"He's pretty attractive," I added, since I'd already come this far. I might as well sell them on the idea. While still pretending I was unaware of the boys listening-in, and the way Naruto was all-out gaping, of course.

Naruto managed to snap his jaw shut when Sakura glanced in his direction.

"I guess," Sakura agreed, though she crossed her arms. She seemed displeased. "Not as cute as you though," she pouted, but I knew she was trying to flirt with me more than she was actually trying to insult Naruto. I could tell from her warm energy she didn't find him unattractive in the least.

I pulled my bag over my shoulder. "I think he's the type that gets cuter the more you get to know him," I explained. "Like... he's shy?" I shrugged.

"You think so?" Sakura's eyes slid back to him, reappraising. "Are you guys friends? I thought he was... you know. A class-clown, or something."

"He can probably hear you," I said, stepping past the two girls. I knew for a fact that he could, actually, as we weren't whispering or anything.

Sakura stiffened, cheeks darkening. "No way!"

"L-let's go say hi," said Hinata, eyes unwaveringly on the gobsmacked blond idiot.

I decided I'd leave them to it. I walked to the rear exit (my seat was towards the back of the room as well) and met Naruto's eyes as I walked past him. I hadn't originally intended to interact with him at all—hadn't intended to draw any more attention to myself today than I already had—but.

When I strode past his desk and glanced up—brushing some of my fringe behind my ear like this was casual, like I had no idea that he'd been eavesdropping—I couldn't help the genuine surprise I felt when I saw wide blue eyes staring back at me, and a mental, reverent whisper of _Cool._

He thought I was cool.

This was shocking to me. I didn't know Naruto well enough to predict his character perfectly, but I would have bet money _against _him warming up to me quickly. It was only because of this rare sensation of surprise that, against my will, my lip twitched up in the corner in a small smile.

I dropped it quickly and looked away from him. The moment had been a mere pass-by, a mere second of insignificant eye contact, but it felt strangely... _very _significant.

I could feel Naruto's eyes following me; ignoring his friends as they whispered shocked exclamations in his ear; ignoring (for the moment) the two females approaching him in search of homework help. Despite his interest in Sakura, I could _feel _his eyes on me—hear his mind repeat, _He's so cool. Sasuke's so cool._

It was a little embarrassing, really.

And, it was also the start of the end.


End file.
